illustration by Guacamole Goalie

Whenever an attempt to communication or action fails, people get very creative when they encounter a lack of understanding. Both German and English have a vast repertoire listing expressions of incomprehension.

Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof – Where is the next train station?

• Example: Im Gespräch über die Zukunft der Firma verstand ich nur Bahnhof
• Literally translated: I only understand train station.
• Origin: Ich verstehe nur Bahnhof – World War I. War-weary soldiers used this phrase to cut off conversations that weren’t dealing with the train ride home. They would only understand train station. For soldiers Bahnhof (train station) represented the only way to return to their loved ones. The meaning has changed over the years.
• Meaning: Today this phrase means to not understand completely and that you are having a hard time following someone. Another approach on the origin is that you only understand the basics of a foreign language and nothing other than that.
• Equivalent: No English counterpart found. Use phrases for incomprehension from below.

Greek To Me, Spanish To You, Chinese to Some

• Example: That is all Greek to me. – Das kommt mir Spanisch vor.
• Origin EN: That’s all Greek to me – the English version derives from William Shakespeare who literally meant that the speech of Cicero was delivered in Greek and thus was not understood by him. We now use it in a figurative fashion. Literal/Figurative?
• Origin DE: Karl V was king of Spain for several years and then made it German emperor. The Spanish wedding ceremony was still used in Germany and considered as strange and outrageous.
• Additonal Info: Good old Willy might have mirrored the Latin phrase “Graecum est, non legitur”- “es ist Griechisch, deswegen ist es unlesbar” – “it is Greek and thus it is unreadable”
• Proverbs that are similar like the above-mentioned in other languages (Wikipedia).
• If you don’t want to pick on the Greek language, you can also say It’s double Dutch to me. Same meaning.

Mein Name Ist Bond Hase

• Example: Wer mit deinem Rad weggefahren ist? Mein Name ist Hase. Ich weiß von nichts.
• Meaning: I have no clue. I do not understand. Also: I don’t want to know anything about it and I’m not saying anything.
• Origin: Mein Name ist Hase. 19th century. This phrase goes back to the days of Victor von Hase (von Hase is his last name) who helped out his friend who killed someone in aduel. His friend had to flee from the consequences. Victor von Hase game his friend student ID (the legend says) who then was found by authorities and sent right back. Back at the university Victor’s friend said when beinginterrogated, “Mein Name ist Hase. Ich verneine alle Frage, ich weiß von nichts” (transl.: My Name is Hase. I refuse/negate all questions (asked during cross-examination), I don’t know anything). The story around Victor von Hase and his friend spread very quickly and people heard of this phrase, picked it up and added it to their everyday phrases.
• Lit. translated: My name is Hase.
• Equivalent EN: You can use the phrase in English, but everyone will shoot back with something like that: “That’s double Dutch” or “That’s all Greek” – This would reach the point of successfully failed communication.